The Siege of Strawberry Hill

[Mirra|Robin]

Mirra watched as the smoke cleared revealing ah huge man. The fact he was a human was surprising. The huntress had heard stories of giants, but they were much larger than this man. Still, he had to be the tallest person she had ever seen. For a moment she stared at him in awe of his sheer size. She shook her head and regained her focus, a smirk on her face as she listened to the man shriek about his shield. “You’re not Marcus… Sorry about your shield but when there’s a fight going on outside, it’s not good to stand by doors like that. It could have been worse you know.”

She listened to him talk about how she couldn’t be here and how he would have to get rid of her. Typical bad guy blah blah. He seemed to be mannerly, but following the orders of an evil guy. He was either dumb or evil, himself. Her smirk faded, this was serious. “I see. Well, I hate to tell you this but there’s not a single thing about me that’s bug like. And you know, if he’s not even here he would never know I was. The guys on deck won’t be snitching on me, either. I’m just here to help my friend stay out of trouble. Aside from following some stupid orders, you seem like an alright guy. In other words, I don’t want to fight you.”

The mountain of a man pulled his weapon, his movements solid and firm. He spoke of a man with a panther on his back and Mirra raised an eyebrow and tilted her head a little. Then he mentioned a name she was unfamiliar with. Pursing her lips, she decided she would have no other choice but to bring down a mountain to help her friend. The huntress watched as the large guy kicked a canon all the way from the ship to the island. Her eyes widened and she took a step back. She saw what it took for normal men to move those things and to see one large guy kick one like that was definitely a wake up call. “Ah so Marcus is a noble. I so called it.” Mirra laughed a little at the thought of her gentleman companion being not only a ruthless fighter but a noble as well. “I always thought those guys were a bunch of fruitcakes and pansies. Looks like I indeed found a rare person.” The young woman suddenly went serious, and abrupt and sudden change from her lighthearted quip about her new friend. “It is my duty in life to cleanse the world of heartless jerks. I stand for true justice, not that fake crap the Marines always go on about. I don’t care if you’re a Marine or a Pirate or somebody’s grandma, if you bring harm to the good people of this world I will find you and take you out. I am The Huntress, Mirra Black and it seems like I’m here for your boss. I’ve heard what he’s like and his time is up. As for you, nothing personal, you’re just standing in my way.”

Thankfully the big man was a bit slower, so Mirra was able to move her trusty heat bow to her back and move to the side, his blade falling into the floorboards of the ship. Snapping the straps that held her daggers in place, she flicked them both into the air and caught them. “Too bad you gotta be a bad guy, you’d have made a great marine. Now only are you strong, but you blindly follow orders. I don’t even think you know how to be a pirate and that, my frinamy, is a sad case. Let me, a bounty hunter, teach you.”

When Grana freed his sword, and it didn’t take much more than one good pull, he turned around and rushed at Mirra again. “What did you just call me?” Using her size and speed to her advantage, she slid under his legs and ended up behind him. By the time he turned to face her again, red faced with anger. “Stand still and let me slice you. I promise it will be quick. You won‘t even suffer.” He ran at her again.

“Don’t you know that running at people blindly like that won’t work? It’s foolish to try. A real pirate would calculate a careful attack before rushing headlong in. Use your brain, you big lug!” Mirra found fights like this to be annoying. It was little more than dodging out of a bull’s path when it was rushing you. Anyone with speed would know this. However, it would be difficult to get a hit in on this guy unless she could get some distance and height on him. Then she could hope that he was dumb enough to not use his shield properly. It was an impossible feat inside this ship. Instead of trying to dodge his next rush, Mirra turned and ran outside. This gave Grana the impression she was retreating.

“I will not allow you to escape, Huntress! If you keep making me mad I will take back my offer of not letting you suffer!” He chased her outside and winced a little from the sunlight. His angry red face was clearly visible in the daylight.

[dreameater]

Marcus gritted his teeth as his blade flickered and danced in the light of the flames around him, aiming for Jack of Blades' throat with every swipe. The man cackled, leaping back, and shook his index finger at Marcus, much like one would with a naughty child. "Ah ah ah! No cheating now!" With another laugh, the man dove in, blades scything through the air with no rhyme or reason. Marcus was pressed back as the clown drunkenly flung his body all over the place. "You damn clown! Fight me, will you?[/i]" Marcus felt the searing heat of the flames and reacted immediately. He parried the next blow and dove under Jack's arm. Rising like the angered god of the sea, Marcus spun around and whipped his rapier around, planning to cut the tendons and cripple his opponent. Without even turning around, the clown raised a leg, bringing his toe just about the cut of Marcus' blade. He laughed as metal rasped on metal. Relying on pure instincts, Marcus dove backwards, just barely keeping his eyes as that toe slashed across his face. Marcus leaped to his feet, eyeing Jack of Blades warily.

"Ooooooohh, goood reactions. I was afraid you were gonna lose your eyes for a second! Then this wouldn't be any fun!" Marcus grimaced. "Psychotic clown. Don't you realize that you are going to burn as well?" The clown cocked his head sideways, as if he didn't understand the question. "Mmmm, but of course. But this would be the only time in my life I've ever felt warmth! Mother dearest left me to walk the gutter again, and dear old Daddy decided to raise me into a real man, with some guts! I might never have grown some of my own, but it was sure fun wearing his for a few days! Ahahahahahahaha!" Jack of Blades tumbled forward, rolling until he reached striking distance. He pulled a handspring, toes both outstretched and heading for Marcus' neck. Cursing, the deposed noble dove to the side, kicking out himself. His feet connected, sending Jack tumbling. For a moment, Marcus hoped he broke the man's crown. Unfortunately, like a zombie rising from the dead, Jack of Blades rose once more. The deranged man couldn't even stand up right. He reached his feet like how a chair folded up, as if someone had told him the idea of standing but he never quite understood the concept. Somehow, despite all the other things to feel sickening fear at, Marcus found this the most revolting. Reflecting on his actions, he laughed. For a moment, he couldn't breathe.

"Yes, yes, good, good! Laugh! Go ahead and laugh! All of life's a joke- love is a trick, joy is a facade, courage is a lie, terror is sweet, fear is beautiful, and pain is pleasure! So let's laugh all the way down to the devil!" Marcus shook his head, the mirthful tears finally subsiding. "I'm not laughing with you, clown. I'm laughing at you. Death is a joke, one we're all afraid to hear the punchline to- but life, life is something to be cherished. I'm laughing at your inability to tell the truth, even to yourself, that you're afraid. I feel sorry for you, Jack of Blades." Jack snarled, his false joy shattered. "Sh-shut up, bastard! Laugh at this!" The clown pulled up his shirt and removed a belt that wrapped around his torso several times. Marcus heard it rattle as it hit the ground. Confused, Marcus was not ready for the incredible results of the strange weapon.

Jack of Blades spun around and whipped his arm towards Marcus, sending the tip of the massive whip towards the Dukeling. Scoffing at the incredibly visible attack, Marcus parried with his blade, then dashed forward, planning to end the fight with a single thrust. Nothing could have prepared him for the line of fire that etched itself across his back. Rolling sideways and sinking into a defensive position, Marcus looked around for the enemy that had snuck into their fight. "Coward," Marcus snarled as he felt the blood drip down his back, "Not only are you too scared to look at the truth, you're frightened to face me in an honest duel?" Jack of Blades sneered, his constant maniacal expression seething with hatred. "Oh, there's no one here but us, kiddo! I was the one who pinked you! What's the matter- I thought you found this funny! Are you scared now? WHY AREN'T YOU LAUGHING?" Jack of Blades screamed, and as the whip began to whistle through the air once more, Marcus realized with sudden horror the fanciful weapon was a deadly sword, able to turn corners and strike from over ten feet away. "And this man whips it around like a concubine's ribbon." Marcus muttered silently to himself, even as he dove away from its deadly length. Marcus stayed at range, knocking away the whip blade and immediately diving to the side, not allowing Jack of Blades to flay him alive. All the while, Marcus desperately tried to formulate some kind of strategy that promised quick victory.


...And all the while, the ravenous flames rose higher and higher, consuming everything they could in their rapacious hunger.

SPOILER: Click to show

I'm sorry this is so late. My house is being renovated, and one of the workers cut the power. I'll squeeze in a post whenever possible, but forgive me if I'm slow to post for the next couple weeks.

Again, my most sincere apologies.

[Mirra|Robin]

Once the bow woman was out in the open air, she looked around quickly for a means of distancing herself. The only thing she could think of was shimming up one of the masts. As a child learning the art of the hunt, she had spent a lot of timing climbing trees to get a better view of her surroundings and to spot potential prey. It was also a useful way to escape predators, which was exactly what she needed to do. The huntress had become the prey and now needed to gain an upper hand. She ran around on deck, running circles around masts, canons, and gunpowder barrels.

When she reached the back of the ship, Mirra had gained a bit of a lead on the sizable foe. She peeked over the side and was able to see the smaller ship below. It was a respectable size, but it wasn’t very big. It would be perfect for two people to operate, but they would do good to have another person. Looking behind her, the redhead noticed that Grana was gaining on her. ”Uh oh.”

Mirra rushed off, leaving the rather basic looking ship behind, in an effort to re-distance herself. Once she had reached the forward mast, the young woman began an attempt to scale it like she would a tree. Unlike last time she had done this, she had a melee type fresh on her heels. She had barely managed to shimmy out of sword range when the brute caught up with her and began to try and jump to poke her with the sword. Quickly, the young woman climbed further up. When she was safely out of his range, even with him trying his best to jump and poke her, his girth shaking the ship as he landed, aided by gravity. The huntress clung to the pole every time he landed.

It was likely that Grana noticed this, as a sadistic smile crossed his face. He raised his shield in front of him and backed up a couple steps before ramming into the mast. The tall wooden structure shook violently as Mirra clung for dear life. He charged a second time and she slipped a little. ”Cut it out you jerk face! Can‘t you see I‘m trying to climb here?”

“I can’t do that, girl, you will get away before I have the chance to finish your life. My boss would not appreciate that at all. Besides, we can’t have you helping the duke.” Mirra managed to tighten her grip on the pole as the giant rammed into it again. This might be her only chance to learn more about Marcus from someone other than him. ”Hey, could we have a time out for a second, I need to ask you something.” Grana rolled his eyes. “No, you can talk while you die.” He rammed into the mast again, a sizable dent had formed in the large structure.

”No, I’m serious. Tell me more about where Marcus comes from. What the hell is a duke doing acting like a pirate? What is the relationship between him and your captain?” For a moment, the giant stopped and acted like he was going to answer, but just shook his head. Mirra took this as an opportunity to take her daggers from her belt and stab them into the wooden mast. She secured them just in time for another assault from the great shield. It was some trick the pirate had come up with, dressing like a paladin and acting like a jerk. ”If I win this you will tell me what I want to know.”

As he smashed into the mast again, Mirra could tell the daggers made a big difference. She was able to pull herself up and sit on them in between the shaking. She watched as splinters flew from the mast on the next impact. She had to do something. Quickly, she removed Sagittarius from her back. She hated having to resort to this, but she really had no other choice. Grana’s shield appeared to be made of gold. As easily as it had dented earlier, she had trouble doubting it. Gold had a relatively low melting point, and enough heat might just weaken the dent enough for him to break the shield on his own. She clung to the mast as he hit again, most splinters flying from the impact. ”Your boss won’t like it if you break his ship, you naughty man-giant thingy.” A sly grin crossed Mirra’s face as the huntress slowly began to see this fight turn in her favor.

[dreameater]

Trying to come up with a way to destroy Jack's incredible offense, Marcus parried blow after blow, looking for an opening. But every time he rushed in, Jack of Blades was ready with his serrated gladius, forcing Marcus back into the range of the whip sword. "What's the matter kiddo- you should be dodging this! Don't tell me you've never played hopscotch or dodgeball before! Everyone always say that games prepare you for real life- you should have listened to them!" Instantly sheathing his gladius, Jack pulled out a spatha and hurled it, the weighted blade tumbling end over end for Marcus' heart. Jack was quick to follow up wot the whip once more. Marcus rolled to the side as the spatha thwacked into the wood, gouging out splinters the size of Marcus' littlest finger. He continued his roll, not even pausing to look where he was going as the whip swung around to take his head. Marcus heard the shrieking of the burning airas it passed, and shivered. Once that weapon started spinning, it had some serious power behind it. Marcus dove yet again, this time behind the trunk full of hollyberries. Fortunately for him, the trunk was on the only wall yet untouched by the ravaging blaze. Smiling as he saw the blood red juice of the hollyberries seep through the wood, Marcus had an idea. He flipped open the trunk's lid, and sighed  with relief at the added protection the upright lid offered. As long as it didn't close on his fingers, Marcus was fine. After gathering all the materials he would need, Marcus decided to put his plan into action.

While Marcus schemed, Jack attacked. He flung the whip blade wherever he thought he saw a tuft of black hair, all the while screaming vulgar insults at the clever Dukeling. "C'mon, kiddo! You were the one calling me a coward just a minute ago! And now you're hiding! Did you finally decide to piss yourself and die?! Or maybe you need to gather up some fairy dust to sprinkle over my eyes! C'mon, you queer! I thought you had this whole thing going with Master Caligula?! You've never bed the man if you die here! Or does your heart race at the thought of him fondling your corpse?! Just tell me how you wanna approach him, cut up, in chains, whatever, and I'll set everything up for you!" Marcus acted. He threw the cloud of crushed hollyberries, their juices seeming to fog the air in a pink mist. Naturally, Jack of Blades deflected the knife hiding in the distraction. The throwing knife scraped against Jack's serrated gladius before spinning off into the flames. "Hah! This is like fighting an idiot whose only idea of subtlety is what he gets from storybooks! You're too predictab- aahh!" Jack of Blades screamed, cut off by the sudden, sharp pain in his right shoulder. 

While the expert bladesman Jack had seen through the rather obvious trick of the knife in the aphrodin cloud, what he hadn't seen was Marcus roll to his left and throw a second knife, perfectly aimed at the shoulder that bore the weight of the whip sword. Straightening himself, Marcus shook both hands, now stained with the blood of the hollyberries. "Do you know what the perfect trap is, Jack of Blades? Contrary to popular opinion, it is not the one that is inescapable. Rather, it is the trap that offers even greater suffering when you attempt to escape. It is the trap that relies upon the enemy's arrogance and conceit to work. It is the trap you risk everything on, just for the slim chance to win it all." Reaching down, Marcus drew his rapier from its sheath. Only then did Jack of Blades realize what Marcus had risked. He had set aside any chance of defense, and had gambled with his life in order to seal the whip blade. Even now, Jack of blades watched as Marcus' jacket fell open, his obi cut in twain by the flexible sword. The crimson line of blood that continued the path of the incision was brightly visible as it crossed Marcus' chest all the way to his opposite shoulder, as straight as if drawn by a ruler. Ask risky as the technique was, it was well worth the sacrifice. While the aprodin stopped the pain, Jack felt the knife grind against the bone as he attempted to raise his arm above his head, and he did not dare remove the blade, for fear of bleeding out. Cursing, Jack of Blades dropped the whip, and instead drew a longsword that ended in a nasty hook in place of the standard point. It looked like the blade could decapitate you with a simple jerk. Switching his gladius to his injured arm, Jack of Blades screamed in frustration. "Who the hell are you?! What kind of crazy bastard risks death for victory?!" He demanded. 

Marcus took his time, wedging his sword between floorboards. He tied the sleeves of his jacket around his waist, eliminating the now restrictive, free flapping fabric, and simultaneously revealing the whipcord, stone like musculature he had built up from years of training. Marcus chuckled at Jack's outrage. "One that really dislikes losing, I suppose." He answered dryly, picking up his rapier. He then turned around and planted his foot against the wall, removing the spatha and wielding that as well. Marcus curled his fingers around the familiar, partitioned grip and grinned. He had practiced with such a blade from youth. He knew full well just what kind of damage he could do with such a blade. Jack's eyes widened as he realized how Marcus had manipulated him, forcing the pair to dance to his tune. "Who- Who are you?" Jack whispered, unintentionally repeating himself. Marcus drew himself to his full height before answering.

"I am Duke Marcus Umbra, true heir to the throne of Toroa, and am the man known to the marines as the Phantom King. Furthermore, I am the pirate who shall become king of the seas, the man who shall surpass Gol D. Roger." With a snarl, Jack of Blades leapt forward, blades at the ready. "Sh-shut up!" Jack snarled. The two locked blades, and Marcus glared at Jack, as cold and unforgiving as the mountain's face. This was to be the prelude to the finale, one way or another. The flames had grown to consume nearly everything, and it was growing more difficult to breathe by the second. The pair began to sweat profusely, but it was clear by now how each dealt with pressure. The only question now was whether the tempestuous flames of madness would burn the glacier, or whether the stalwart glacier would freeze the grand pyre.